knowledge and power
by CrimsonGear
Summary: Changed summary. Sirius escaped the veil thanks to a unique power. Now free, he is forced to cut all ties in a bid to save his godson from the misguided clutches of Dumbledore, all the while pushing his only friend Remus to his limits.
1. Escaping the Veil

Clearly I have a plot-bunny problem. None-the-less I will continue work on my other fics, the next chapters for Messy affairs and Apocalypse are almost done, just need to figure a few things out, which I can do during the week now I'm getting this out of my head somewhat.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, nor the lines I edited from the back end of Order of the Pheonix.

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><p>"Come on, you can do better than that!" Sirius yelled at Bellatrix, goading her.<p>

A yet of light hit him squarely in the chest.

"SIRIUS!" Harry screamed as his godfather was struck, staring in horror. The laughter had not quite died from Sirius' face (he'd been laughing at his cousin moments before she'd struck him), but the man's eyes had widened in shock.

It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall: his body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backwards into the ragged veil hanging from the arch. Just before he was lost to the world completely, Sirius saw Dumbledore turn to look his way, _Too late you damned old fool!_ Sirius thought vehemently, before sadness filled him when he saw Harry running towards him, Remus not far behind, _Sorry, Pup_.

"SIRIUS!" Harry tried again, wand out, ready to fight with his godfather once the man came back out of the veil - he'd reappear, surely he would, wouldn't he? "SIRIUS!"

"Harry, stop!" Remus yelled, grabbing Harry around the boy's waist, only metres from the veil themselves. "There's nothing we can do!"

"No! We can save him, we have to!" Harry struggled in the older man's grasp, wanting desperately to reach his godfather.

"Harry..."

"Why are you holding me back - he only just fell through, we can get him!"

"Harry, there's nothing... Harry, he's gone."

Harry felt as though his heart had been crushed under a tonne of bricks.

"No... HE. IS. NOT. DEAD! SIRIUS!" Harry yelled again, struggling even harder.

"Harry! Stop it!" Remus tried again in vain, he voice breaking as he fought to keep Harry away from the veil, as well as hold back his own tears.

As Harry slowly came to terms with the fact Sirius was in fact dead, Dumbledore smiled to himself, carefully hiding it as he pretended to focus on tying up all the Death Eaters within the room. Now that Sirius was gone he didn't need to worry about the man's influence on Harry. Dumbledore could simply go back to the original plan he had before Sirius had escaped Azkaban and proved himself innocent to Remus, Harry and the latter's friends. Also, the love Sirius had shown the boy would make Harry even more willing to become a sacrifice for the good of the Wizarding World.

It was all falling back into place now that reckless pawn was dead.

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><p>"Sirius? Sirius wake up," a soft voice called in an almost joking tone. "Hurry up lazy, you know you don't belong here."<p>

"Eh?" Sirius grunted, his body felt heavy, like he was buried beneath something very dense. Somehow, with great difficulty, Sirius managed to force his eyes open - when had they closed?

"AH!" he cried in shock at the teenager before him. It was almost like looking into a mirror. The boy had similar long black hair and was strangely handsome however he was smaller and slighter than Sirius, as well as having a completely different look in his eyes. "R-Regulus?"

"'Sup?" Regulus greeted grinning and chuckling at his older brother. They appeared to be floating along slowly in a seemingly endless dark space.

"Why don't you tell me, brother dearest?" Sirius replied sarcastically, crossing his arms angrily. "You were the one that told me to wake up after all."

"Well of course, brother," Regulus reasoned in a care-free tone, "if I hadn't, you would have died."

"Forgive the assumption," Sirius said, not sounding sorry in the least, "but you are dead and I fell through a death veil... Ergo, I too, am dead."

Regulus laughed. "Well of course you'd see it that way - as would anyone else. But you're forgetting something."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"That we _aren't_ anyone else," as Regulus said this, his grey eyes became clouded as though a storm was brewing within them. Almost as though it was an automatic reaction, lightning danced across Sirius' eyes, although it didn't impair his vision in the slightest.

"We knew that already, what does that have to with our current situation?" Sirius asked, feeling the longer he spent here the less of a chance he had at getting back. He didn't need to voice his concern for Regulus to know.

"Yes, the longer you spend here the further away from the present - and life - we get. Had you stayed asleep you'd probably already be greeting those Potter people," Regulus said. "But you need to go back, brother - those men are going to cause hell if you don't do something."

"How do I go back? You know right? You've always known a lot," Sirius said.

"I don't just know 'a lot', Sirius. I have the potential to know all - but that potential can only be accessed in death. Paired with your potential to have power over everything, you can get out. You were always the stronger one," Regulus said softly, "I didn't think I needed you and I ended up dying. Turns out if we don't work together nothing works out right."

"Enough of the riddles Reg - I don't want to listen to your mumbling - if our abilities can get me out of here, why not you too?" Sirius could feel time was getting short, but he had to know.

Regulus smiled softly and moved to wrap his arms around his brother's neck almost like Regulus intended to hug him. "I thought I told you - I tried to be independent and died using my abilities, if that veil hadn't been there you would have been fine. You're the only one of us that deserves another chance, Sirius." Regulus closed the gap between them, placing his forehead gently against Sirius'.

"I'm going to give you my power, so push yours to its limit and imagine that veil," Regulus instructed, closing his eyes. As Sirius did as Regulus asked, the younger began to fade away, smiling all the while. "I may have known everything, but it made me cocky. I knew what our parents wanted and thought I was right to be the model son... I realise now I was an idiot. Sirius, please, don't use my power needlessly. You'll-"

"Shut up, Reg," Sirius interrupted gently, a soft smile on his face as he cupped his brother's cheek. "You were an idiot - I get it, no need to blabber on. I have a kid back there who needs me."

"Yeah. You want me to wait for you later?"

"Nah, you'll be waiting a while - I don't intend to die for a good few years. Go on ahead, I'm sure mum misses you."

"Alright then. Bye, Sirius," Regulus said as the last of his body faded from view.

"Bye, Reg." Sirius straightened, allowing the magic within him to overflow to the point where it rolled off him in visible waves of energy before saying softy, "Snap, crackle, bang."

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><p>Back in the Ministry Death Chamber, Harry had already run off with Dumbledore not far behind. All the Death Eaters, minus Bellatrix who had managed to escape, were all tied up by invisible ropes, courtesy of Dumbledore. Remus and the rest of the Order were gathering up Harry's friends and doing what they could as well as treating their own injuries when a large explosion shook the room.<p>

"What in the name of Merlin..." Remus ran back towards the dais, freezing at the top of the steps as he gazed down at the destruction with a look of mixed shock and disbelief. The veil had completely shattered and in its place was a figure bathed in light, with lightning seeming to crackle across the figures body, its hair flying around madly in a non-existent wind, with seemingly sightless eyes that appeared clouded as lightning danced across them also.

By now other people had joined Remus and were staring at the figure, all wondering the same thing: who - or what - was it?

As suddenly as it had come, the light faded and the figure stumbled forward, losing its footing and falling onto its face. A sense of familiarity hit Remus, causing him to run down the steps, somehow taking them three at a time without falling, yelling at the top of his voice, "SIRIUS!"

The figure, who was indeed Sirius, weakly turned his head to the side and smiled before forcing himself to sit up, promptly falling to the floor again as his mind assaulted him with images and information at a speed that made it very hard for Sirius not to scream in pain.

The information came in snippets, answering questions Sirius had pondered on for years as well as giving him reason to question things he'd never thought to before, for example: Dumbledore and the way Regulus had died.

Slowly, the stream of information faded and Sirius came back to the present to find himself cradled against someone who smelled distinctly like...

"Moony?" Sirius asked hoarsely, moving his arms to push the person holding him back slightly.

"Sirius... You're alive," Remus said breathlessly, hugging the other man again even tighter this time. "Thank goodness - we thought we'd lost you."

Sirius couldn't think of how to reply and so just returned the embrace instead, not caring he was technically still a wanted man _hugging_ of all things inside the Ministry of Magic. "'Course I'm alive you fool - as if you could get rid of me that easily," Sirius managed once they'd each let the other go.

Slowly the two made their way back up the steps to the rest of the Order, some of whom were crying in joy at finding their comrade alive, Tonks for example had launched herself into her cousin's chest once he'd reached the top and was currently crying into his shirt.

"Hehe, didn't think you'd miss me that much, Tonks," Sirius joked, holding her close, before letting her go as he noticed someone was missing. "Where's Harry?"

"Dumbledore's with him," answered Moody.

"That doesn't tell me where he is, Moody," Sirius snapped, also noticing Bellatrix wasn't in the room, "Oh that idiot - don't tell me he went after that crazy bitch!"

"Sirius-"

"Quiet," Sirius hissed in reply, not caring who had spoke. He could just hear the sounds of battle. "The Atrium." Instantly, Sirius was off, spinning on his heel and Apparating to the battle.

"Kill me now, Dumbledore," said Voldemort, using Harry's mouth.

Sirius starred at the scene before him in horror - what the heck was going on? That wasn't Harry's voice...

"Master, it's Black - he's back! But how? I killed him!" Bellatrix yelled. Tipping his head to the side Sirius realised she was trapped behind a statue. At her call, both Harry and Dumbledore had turned to look, both gaping at him.

Upon seeing Harry's now red eyes though, Sirius understood and shot past Dumbledore and embraced Harry carefully. "Get out of him, Voldemort. I'll only ask once."

"I'm afraid you'll have to kill me to get me out, Black," Harry-Voldemort said, a twisted smirk on the boy's lips.

"Not a chance," Sirius whispered, his eyes clouding. "Now get out of my godson."

Dumbledore wasn't certain how Sirius had returned, nor what he was doing to Harry, only that a scream came from the boy that didn't belong to him, and suddenly, Voldemort had reappeared, only to spot the Ministry officials that were beginning to appear, grab Bellatrix and Disapparate.

"Harry, Harry are you alright?" Sirius asked softy as the boy woke up.

"S-Sirius? Are you really there?" Harry asked, sure he was either dead or imagining his godfather.

"Yes, Pup, it's me. I'm not dead." At this Harry's eyes widened and he flung himself at Sirius.

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><p>Please review, they make me happy~<p>

Also this is un-betaed so if there's mistakes please tell me.


	2. Forever a Fugitive

Sorry this took a little longer than I wanted - I had most of this written on paper, just the laze of typing it up really, although I did mean to upload last night... But I didn't finish typing the chapter due to being captivated by Marauder Cosplaying that drove my mind insane (in a good way).

Anywho - thank you to the following for reviewing: FatLady712, Silver-Moon-Light94 and m0ckingbird77 as well as those of you who have this fic on alert, seeing those emails make me smile :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter - if I did, Sirius wouldn't have died and Dumbledore wouldn't have kept forcing Harry back to the Dursley's. I do however believe I can own the spell 'venti murmuris' since I just shoved two words into a Latin translator and made it into a spell :)

On with the story!

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><p>"Merlin's beard! It's Sirius Black!" at Fudge's exclamation, Sirius came back to his senses, snapping his head up to look at the Minister for Magic. Sirius got to his feet, Harry rising with him.<p>

"You're wrong, Minister - Sirius is innocent! Professor, you have to tell them!" Harry cried, looking at Dumbledore hopefully, before his face fell as Dumbledore raised his wand towards Harry and Sirius. "Professor?"

Sirius tightened his grip on Harry's shoulder, which he had been holding since the two stood up.

"Sirius?" Harry questioned, becoming more worried by the second as more wands joined Dumbledore's. The group of Aurors that had come with Fudge were now all pointing their wands towards Sirius.

"Let Harry go, Black," Dumbledore started, slightly unnerved that Sirius didn't even appear phased by his sudden betrayal.

"Why? So you can either kill me or hand me to the Dementors?" Sirius said with a sneer. "Really, Dumbles, aren't you meant to be smart?" at this, Sirius pulled Harry closer to himself and placed his fingers around the boy's jugular, pressing just enough to make it visibly uncomfortable for Harry. "I could kill him you know," Sirius added, making sure Harry covered his heart. "But I won't," he continued in a low voice only Harry could hear. "Whatever they say is a lie - I would never harm you, Harry."

"Then why are you almost strangling me and using me as a shield?" Harry hissed back.

"Because he is a liar, Harry," Dumbledore answered, apparently having heard Harry's response. "Black has fooled us all with his dark magic. Even I bought into his lies about Peter Pettigrew being the real betrayer - but that is because I believe in second chances, and I'm afraid I cannot give you a third, Black. You are too dangerous to be allowed to live. A double agent of Voldemort."

"Well you'd know all about handling double agents wouldn't you, Albus?" Sirius mocked. "Do tell though, if I had you fooled why the sudden change of heart?"

"Your magic died - even if only for those few minutes you were inside the Veil of Death, and your magic was undone. Harry probably doesn't remember being free due to his encounter with Bellatrix and Voldemort, as well as you yourself, Black wiping Harry's mind once more under the guise of freeing him from Voldemort's control," Dumbledore explained. "Now let Harry go."

"So you're saying I'm some great dark wizard able to manage wiping and altering the memories of Remus, Harry and his friends and even you? I think you're vastly overestimating my capacity for evil, Albus. But, whatever," Sirius shrugged, looking rather relaxed in hopes of hiding how nervous he really was. He knew Dumbledore wouldn't have been happy about Sirius' being alive again, but he had hoped to at least escape the Ministry before getting stabbed in the back.

"At any rate," Sirius continued, sharply squeezing Harry's neck tighter and grabbing the teen's wand in the moment of shock. "I believe I'm leaving." Sirius released Harry and shoved him abruptly forward. "Reducto!" at Sirius' cry a hole was blast in the Atrium's ceiling causing it to topple at a unsettlingly fast rate.

Using the slight panic he had caused as a distraction, Sirius then aimed Harry's wand towards the lifts. "Expec- hah," Sirius sighed and closed his eyes briefly, "Venti Murmuris," satisfied his spell hand worked, Sirius let go of Harry's wand and span on his heel, Disapparating away from the immediate danger.

In the Ministry's Death Chamber, the Order were still waiting for Dumbledore and Sirius' return, the Hogwarts students already having been sent back to school.

Seemingly from nowhere a gust of wind picked up within the room, particularly drawn to Remus who started as though he had been shocked.

"Remus?" asked Tonks worriedly.

"It was Sirius," Remus explained absently, looking slightly lost. "I think something's happened." Without elaborating further Remus Disapparated to Grimmauld Place.

"Sirius! Sirius, what's going on? Where are you?" Remus called out, heading first to the kitchen before going up the steps, ignoring the fact he'd awoken Walburga Black with his shouting.

"I'm up here!" Sirius answered, briefly sticking his head over the third floor banister, before retracting it and returning to the room he had been in, also seemingly unbothered by his mother's screams.

Deciding it was best to hurry Remus ran up the stairs, finding Sirius in his old bedroom hurriedly packing various items into a rucksack. "Sirius what are you doing - are you leaving or something?" Remus asked incredulously, staring at Sirius.

"Pretty much," Sirius admitted with a shrug as he scrambled through his drawers and grinning when he found a small golden key - likely for the Black Family's Gringotts vault. "Since Dumbledore seems completely fine with handing me over to the Ministry."

"That can't be right - Dumbledore must have been lying-"

"He called me a dark wizard, Remus," Sirius said cutting Remus off, "he said I was a double agent for Voldemort. I would never EVER do that. He even went as far to claim I was lying about Peter - the Map never lies - you said so yourself you saw him on it!"

"Yes, but, Sirius - Dumbledore-"

"Look, I'm sorry Remus - but I really haven't the time," Sirius snapped, lightly shoving Remus out of the way to go into Regulus' room. "The rest of the Order will be here any second-"

"Then why did you make it obvious you wanted me to come to you?" Remus yelled storming after Sirius.

Sirius looked up from where he had been rifling though his brother's old clothes. "Because I _want_ to explain. What's actually going on here is far bigger than Dumbledore thinks. I should have died when I passed through the Veil but instead I was sent back because Dumbledore is going to have people die in vain for a cause he doesn't know fully about. Remus, when I sent that message to you at the Ministry, I asked you to _trust me_. Please," Sirius implored walking over to Remus. "I know Dumbledore's trust in you means everything to you, but please, just let your faith in me override that, if only for the moments it takes to hear me out. After that you can chose whichever path you want - you can even say I took you against your will or tell Dumbledore some of what I say so that he will let you back into his fold. Just please, Remus, come with me this night and I'll explain as much as I can."

After a few seconds Sirius realised he wasn't going to get an answer right now as Remus battled with himself inwardly. Straying back to his previous task, Sirius faintly noted that half the Order were now congregating on the street outside according to the map of Grimmauld Place he and his brother had made when they were children. With a slight growl, Sirius grabbed the less moth-eaten and dusty clothing of his brother's that looked like they would fit and unceremoniously shoved them in the bag.

"Kreacher!" Sirius summoned, thankful the elf cracked into being almost instantly.

"What does Master require of Kreacher?" the elf asked, adding under his breath, "The filthy half-breed wolf is in Master Regulus' room, oh what would Kreacher's Mistress think?"

"Kreacher enough babbling - I order you not to let the blood filth that is about to enter the house get past the first floor - I don't want them up here - but under no circumstances hurt them!" Sirius snapped, Remus and Kreacher starting at Sirius' use of 'blood filth' although Remus felt disgust and Kreacher felt hope towards the phrase.

"At once, Master," Kreacher said smiling cruelly as he bowed and cracked away.

"Remus, please don't think less of me - I didn't mean it when I called Tonks and the other's 'blood filth', I just needed Kreacher to do what I asked _when_ I asked it," Sirius said, knowing Remus wasn't happy with what had just happened. "I need your answer soon, Remus - it should only take the Order a minute or so before they remember they can Apparate up here."

As Sirius left the room, Remus could hear everything becoming more chaotic downstairs. No one had bothered shutting Mrs. Black's curtains although he could hear various Order members shouting over her. It seemed Kreacher had turned the steps into a slide, causing the wizards to tumble down. Had the situation been different, Remus would probably have laughed, but this was no laughing matter.

He had two choices: betray Dumbledore's trust and go with Sirius, or betray Sirius again and stand with Dumbledore. Hate the man he considered a brother once more, simply because he trusted the words of the man who gave him an education... Or go with the man and hope Dumbledore would forgive him...

"Late chance, mate. I need an answer now," Sirius pressed running into the room, an explosion almost drowning out his words.

"What was that?" Remus asked.

"Blew the wall up - Remus please, now or never," Sirius pressed, grabbing his rucksack and slinging it onto his shoulder.

"Alright fine," Remus said after a moment, eyes tightly shut, before looking imploringly at Sirius, "But please - _please_ make it look like you took me against my will?"

"Of course old friend," Sirius said with a smile, more thankful Remus was coming with him than anything else. Swiftly, Sirius pulled Remus' wand from his hand. "Stupefy." And without realising what had just happened, Remus slumped forwards unconscious, into Sirius' arms.

Aided by the fact Remus was extremely light and rather thin due to his poverty, Sirius was able to lift the man into his arms and carry him out onto the landing. The house was in complete shambles - rubble everywhere, erratic shouting and numerous holes in the walls. Unsurprisingly, even the Muggles had begun to notice something was wrong and were crowding around the part of the street number 12 was meant to be.

Ignoring cries from the Order as well as blocking spells best he could with Remus' wand, Sirius - for lack of a better word - dumped Remus onto Buckbeak, stroking the proud beast calmly before climbing on himself. "Alright, Beaky - let's go!" as if that was all the encouragement the Hippogriff needed, Buckbeak reared slightly before leaping forward, wings outstretched through a hole in the ceiling, and taking off into the night, aided by Sirius who continued to fire at the Order in order to clear Buckbeak's path.

Sirius look in a deep breath after they'd cleared London. Free. He was finally free of all restrictions from the last fourteen years. Grimmauld Place, Azkaban, Dumbledore - no long would any of these dictate his life for him. Yes he still had things to do, responsibilities to fulfil, but now he could perform them in a way that showed he _was_ doing something, that he _was_ useful - that he was his own man and that nothing could take that from him. Not even the Aurors and Hit Wizards that would soon be on his trail.

However, before all that, Sirius had one quick stop to make - providing Hagrid had received his letter.

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><p>Hehe, cliffy! Hopefully I should get the next chapter up pretty soon - but while you're waiting I have a few questions:<p>

-Should I make this wolfstar? (assuming you've noticed Remus has moved into the main character bit with Sirius)

-Should Harry die? (I can do the fic either way, I was just wondering what people thought)

and finally:

-How're the chapters for everyone? Too short? Long? Just right? (I honestly doubt the second one but meh)

Feel free to review/message me with your answers or questions - like why I didn't have Sirius cast a Patronus.


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